Continue to Read and Study Revelation (Rev. 22:10-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/08/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Continue to read and study Revelation

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelation 22:10-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.  11  ‘Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.’”

            John is told not to seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, unlike Daniel who was told to seal them up until a later time.  He then said that the time is near, and I have written on this subject in an earlier verse when the word soon was used.  For one thing I do not believe that the verse speaking of a thousand years is like a day to the Lord as some have used to try to explain this.  Here is a possible way of understanding this verse.  The Bible speaks of the “day of the Lord” in different places, and this can mean that from the time of the Lord Jesus Christ coming to earth until He comes again at the end of the tribulation period is the day of the Lord.  A person who believes in dispensations, as I do, believes that there are different ways in which God dealt with man since the creation of man.  The first dispensation was the age of innocence, and then there was conscience, and human government, and the Law and so on until we come to the age of grace, or the Church age, and this can also be described as the Day of the Lord.  With all of this said one can look at this word near and say that because the age we are living in is the Church age, and at the end of the Church age all of these things written in this book will come true then indeed it is near.  John is saying not to close up the words of the prophecy of this book, and I believe that He is saying that this is profitable for all of the Church age to read this, for indeed God has promised a blessing to all those who read this wonderful book. 

            John goes on to write about write about the difference between those who will believe what has been written in this book, and therefore turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and he also write about those who will not believe the prophecies of this book and thus continue on in their sinful life.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The last part of verse eleven talks about continuing to live a holy righteous life, and this is a process which is a life long process of becoming more and more conformed to the image of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to which I am committed to do with the help, love, grace and mercy of the One who lives within me.

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning, it was also refreshing to me.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord for the outcome of how many people, and who they will be that come for the registration of Upward this evening, tomorrow evening and also Saturday morning.

Worship God (Rev. 22:8-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/07/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Worship God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                   Reference:  Revelation 22:8-9

 

            Message of the verse:  “8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.  9 But he said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’”

            It seems to me that this is the second time that John has been told by an angel not to worship him, but that he was a fellow servant of God, and then the angel tells John, “Worship God.”  I would suppose that because of the awesomeness of this angel that John got carried away, as I am sure that this was a very traumatic experience for John to go through, somewhat like what Daniel went through when he would receive messages and see visions that came from God to reveal to him the future.  John saw a lot of death and destruction in this vision from God, and it must have had a profound affect on him.  One of the things that I am sure that bothered John throughout all of this was the judgments on the lost.

            The angel tells John to worship God, and this is a short, but true statement that all believers need to follow, because like John, believers may tend to worship other things instead of God, and this is a good reminder for all believers in every age, from when this letter was written up until the time when Christ returns to set up His Kingdom, and throughout all of eternity.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is a difficult thing to worship only God, as there has been and still are things that I put before God and rob Him of the worship due to Him.  Anything that carries me away from the worship of God is an idol, and even though I do not bow down to wood or stone idols, there are times when I worship other kinds of idols, like the TV, or like the gifts that God has given me to enjoy.  Paul wrote about worshiping the creation instead of the Creator, and if I worship things that God has given to me this may fall into that category. 

 

The Word of God has brought conviction and a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Worship God and Him alone.

God's Word is Faithful and True (Rev. 22:6-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR  12/05/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God’s Word is Faithful & True

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelation 22:6-7

 

            Message of the verse:  “6   And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.  7  ‘And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.’”  (NAS 95)  “6   The Angel said to me, ‘These are dependable and accurate words, every one. The God and Master of the spirits of the prophets sent his Angel to show his servants what must take place, and soon.  7  And tell them, ‘Yes, I’m on my way!’ Blessed be the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’”  (Message)

            The angel who was speaking to John tells him that all of these words are faithful and true.  I believe that the angel is talking about this entire letter that John was writing down as he was instructed to do so.  There are some who do not believe what is said in this letter, or they try to spiritualize it and thus take away the meaning that it was intended to have.  Just because one cannot understand it does not mean that they have the right to disregard it of make it into something that it is not.  There is no one on this earth who has ever understood all that is in the Bible, but that does not mean that we should not study it, for the writers of the Bible did not always understand what they were writing, but they wrote it down because they were told to do it by God or one of His angels.  Daniel is a good example of this because he actually writes about this, saying that he did not understand what he had seen or was told to write down, but one of the angels told him not to worry about it for there would be a day when all that he wrote would come to pass and would be understood.

            John uses the word “soon” in verse six and “quickly” in verse seven and if one looks at that word in the way that it is used in the English language they might think that it has been over 1900 years since John penned this letter and that surely is not quickly or soon, however I have read that these words mean that once the prophecies began to take place the sequence would happen rapidly. 

            The angel also said in verse seven that those who would heed the words of this prophecy would be blessed.  The readers of this book were also told in the beginning of it that those who read this would receive a special blessing.  This is more evidence that this book should be read and studied and followed and not just put away and not looked at.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The writer to the Hebrews sums up pretty well the spiritual meaning for my life today from the verses in Revelation that I have been studying this morning when he writes, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  I am to keep on reading and studying and memorizing and meditating on God’s Word.

 

The Word of God has been refreshing to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to read and study the Word of God, even though at times I am not exactly sure all of the time the exact meaning of it, trusting that the Holy Spirit will teach me the things that He wants me to know and learn at the right time.

Living in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:3-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/03/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  Living in the New Jerusalem

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Revelation 22:3-5

 

            Message of the verse:  “3  No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.  4  And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.  5  And there will be no night there-no need for lamps or sun-for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”

            In verse three John writes that there will no longer be anything cursed.  The curse began way back in Genesis chapter three when Adam and Eve sinned, and because of their sin the whole earth and all who would be born through them, (which means everyone except Christ) would be born with a sinful nature because of the curse.  The earth was also cursed, and morns over this as Paul writes about in Romans eight.  Now there will be no curse because there will be no sin, and the truth of this is very wonderful to think about, and even better it will be when this comes about.          John goes on to say that the throne of the Father and the Son will be there and all of His servants will worship Him.  All of God’s children who have been redeemed and now have glorious bodies like their Lord and Savior will be able to look at God and will also have His name written on them, because they belong to Him.  An unglorified person can not look at the Lord and live, but this will not be the case in the New Jerusalem because all will have glorified bodies.  In verse five John again repeats the fact that there will no longer be any night nor need for the sun because of the glory of the Lord will light the city, and then he goes on and writes that God’s children will reign forever and ever.  I am not sure what all of this means, but it seems that God’s children will do more than serve in the New Jerusalem, but will actually reign there.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that verse three has the most meaning for me today as I look at the statement about not having any more curse, and thus meaning there will be no more sin, and also that I will be able to see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face and talk with Him and therefore be able to understand fully exactly what He would want me to do.  Because of sin, and not being able to see the Lord at this time, there are many times when I am searching to understand what it is that He would want me to do.  Another thing because there will be no time, I won’t have to wait on things.

 

The Word of God has brought refreshment to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Let God be God.

Inside the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/02/2004

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Inside the New Jerusalem

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelation 22:1-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 ¶  Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2  in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

            Revelations is somewhat a unique book, in that there are images of what life will be like in the future with the Lord and also comfort and hope for the life that is live on this earth during the Church age.  Verse one of chapter 22 speaks of a river of life that is clear as crystal and it comes from the throne of God and of the Lamb and verse two goes on to give more information about this river and where it flows and then talks about the trees that grow on both sides of it.  These trees that are nourished by this river produce twelve different kinds of fruit, one per month, and also the leaves are used for the healing of the nations.  (I don’t think people will be sick, because there is now sin, but the Greek word from where healing is translated here we also get the word “therapeutic,” so this could mean that these leaves somehow enrich the lives of those there.

            Now I would like to make an application for what this verse could be about as I apply it to life in the 21st century of the Church age.  There are times in the Scriptures when water is a reference to the Holy Spirit and also the Holy Spirit is said to come from the Father and also from the Lord Jesus Christ and it is the Holy Spirit who produces fruit in the lives of believers, so I don’t think that it is stretching these two verses to think of them in this way.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I think about these verses in the way that I just wrote about them, it makes me realize that the things in my life that are pleasing to the Lord must come through the power of His Holy Spirit who lives in me, who teaches me, and who makes God’s Word make sense to me, as He opens my mind to understand the things of His Word.  I fear that there are far too many times in my life when I am relying upon myself to live the Christian life and not relying on the Holy Spirit to live His life through me.  I am having a very difficult time dealing with all of the trials that the Lord is sending me through, and I know that I have an answer to how I would like to see them end, but I also realize that the Lord has a perfect plan, and is doing this for my good and not to harm me, but sometime the distress of all of this seems to get the best of me.

 

The Word of God has again brought refreshment to my soul as I read and study His Word this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I really need to have the Holy Spirit in control of my life to lead me and to guide me throughout this day and every day that I have left on this earth.

No Night in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:25-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/01/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  No More Night

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelation 21:25-27

 

            Message of the verse:  “25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).  26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

            As John continues with his description of the New Jerusalem he reveals that there will be no night, and that is because there is no night the gates will always be opened.  There are times in the Scriptures when night refers to sin, for there are many sins that are done in the cover of darkness, and Jesus is the Light of the world and light will always reveal sin, and because there is no sin in the New Jerusalem there will not be any night.

            John goes on in verse 27 to reveal that there will be no one in the New Jerusalem whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of Life, therefore only those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be there. 

            In verse 26 John writes about those who live outside the city, and says that they shall bring glory and honor of the nations into it.  This shows that there will be people in eternity who are not living in the New Jerusalem, but on the new earth, but I am not sure who will live where.  Some that I have read have think that it will only be those who are part of the Church will live in the New Jerusalem, and this could be true, but again I am not sure about this.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  These verses that describe what eternity will be like are not pie in the sky religion, but they are what gives me as a believer that there is more to life that what it is on this earth that I am living in at this time.  There are trials and struggles that I must face here as a believer in Jesus Christ, but He is the One who is in control of my life, and I need to yield everything to Him and trust His with everything that He has given to me.  Paul writes to Titus about the hope of the believe, and that is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth, and this is part of that hope, the things described in these verses about the New Jerusalem.

 

The Word of God has been a hopeful refreshment to my soul as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord in all of the trials that I am going through, including the trouble that is going on at home while my wife is somewhat out of balance with her emotions at this time.  I need much of God’s grace to be able to handle all that is going on in my life at this time.  A new blessing from Him would be very wonderful at this time.

No Need for a Temple (Rev. 21:22-24)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/30/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  No Temple Needed

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelation 21:22-24

 

            Message of the verse:  “22  I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  23  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.  24  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it.

            There are a few things that are missing here in the New Jerusalem and also on the new earth that were needed on the old one.  In verse 22 John reports that he did not see a temple in the city, and then tells why, and that is because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  Moses was told to build the Jewish Temple the way that he saw it on the mountain, and he did as he was told.  The articles in the temple have much to do with the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This was needed to point the way to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He would deal with the great problem of sin.  A few years after the death of Christ the temple was destroyed and has never been built again up until now, but it will be built, (I believe) two more times, once in the tribulation period and once more in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.  I believe that the reason for the absence of a temple in the New Jerusalem is that there will be no sin, and therefore no need of a temple there.  There will be no need of a sun or a moon for the Lord God and the Lamb will be the light, and there will be no more darkness because there will be no more night.  Jesus said that He was the Light of the world when He came the first time to planet earth, and now this light will be all that is needed in the New Jerusalem. 

            I have heard that the New Jerusalem will be suspended above the new earth and also that it will be on the new earth, but in verse 24 John writes that the nations will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem and that the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into this new city, so I tend to believe that it will be on the new earth. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at these verses I can see that God has a plan for all of His children, and it is a wonderful plan, for included in that plan is a place where sin will not be any where around to cause the large problems that it now causes on this earth.  This life on the New Jerusalem will only be the beginning of eternity for as the song says, “When we been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”  When I look at this sin cursed world and the beauty of it, which is only a little bit like the beauty of it when God first created it, and when I think of Romans 8:28 that tells me that even in this sin cursed world God is in control to work out things together for my good and for His glory, it gives great confidence to me that the New Jerusalem will be so very wonderful that human words at this time cannot begin to describe how great and wonderful it will be.  The fact that my Lord Jesus Christ will be there and sin won’t makes me know that it will surely be perfect.

 

The Word of God was refreshment to my soul as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the promise of Romans 8:28 as I go through this trial, knowing that God will indeed work this out for my good and for His glory, and I can hardly wait to see how and when He will do it.